Share
Blog
Print
Email
BookmarkThe salivary glands produce saliva, which keeps the mouth and other parts of the digestive system moist.
It also helps break down carbohydrates (with salivary amylase, formerly known as ptyalin) and lubricates the passage of food down from the oro-pharynx to the esophagus to the stomach. There are three main pairs of salivary glands: the parotid, the submandibular and the sublingual glands..
For more information about the topic Salivary gland, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
Gland — A gland is an organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release such as hormones, often into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or ... > read more
Exocrine gland — Exocrine glands are glands that secrete their products into ducts. They are the counterparts to endocrine glands, which secrete their products ... > read more
Saliva — Saliva is the watery and usually somewhat frothy substance produced in the mouths of some animals, including humans. Produced in salivary glands, ... > read more
Endocrine system — The endocrine system is a control system of ductless glands that secrete chemical messengers called hormones that circulate within the body via the ... > read moreNote: This page refers to an article that is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the article Salivary gland at Wikipedia.org. See the Wikipedia copyright page for more details.
